
Spoelstra: No need to penalize Ball any further
Erik Spoelstra supports no further penalties for LaMelo Ball after flagrant foul.
Draymond Green believes he is one of the best defenders in the NBA but would choose Victor Wembanyama as a better defender. Wembanyama is currently favored to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Draymond Green reveals the one NBA defender he would pick over himself originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite his advanced age, Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green still views himself as one of the absolute best defenders in the entire NBA.
In fact, there’s only one player in the league that Green views as a potentially better defender than himself: San Antonio Spurs star center Victor Wembanyama, who is the runaway favorite to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award this season.
Green correctly thinks that Wembanyama is the most impactful defender in the league, but that’s where he draws the line.
"To sit and say today that my defense is more impactful than Victor Wembanyama's I think that would be a lie and I've never been one to not be honest," Green said during an appearance on ESPN. "So, I wouldn't put myself above him but I wouldn't put myself below anyone else."
Wembanyama has led the league in blocks in three straight seasons, and he would likely be on the verge of winning his second consecutive DPOY Award if he had been eligible last season, so it’s difficult to dispute his status as the league’s best defender.
During his ESPN appearance, Green described the difference between himself and Wembanyama as defenders.
"I'm a positional defender, so I'm not giving you your spots that you want to get to. I like to deter shots. I'm not Victor Wembanyama's height, right? So, I'm not going to block every shot. I want to get myself into a spot to where you can't even get to the shot. But I think that type of anticipation is sometimes tough to quantify.
“Well, when you look at a Victor Wembanyama, he is one that does that same thing but in a different way. Because all of a sudden a guy gets to the hole, whereas you usually just take that shot, you see a lot of times guys see him in the area they just dribble the ball out."
Green acknowledging that Wembanyama is likely a more impactful defender than him is a major sign of respect for the Spurs star, as it's certainly not something that has happened often, or ever, over the course of his career.
More NBA news:
Draymond Green acknowledges Victor Wembanyama's significant defensive impact, which he believes surpasses his own abilities.
Victor Wembanyama is the frontrunner for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award this season.
Draymond Green still considers himself one of the absolute best defenders in the league despite his advanced age.

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